“In the fall of 2009 and winter of 2010 the Washington State Board on Geographic Names, the Province of
British Columbia Geographic Names Office, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names and the Geographical Names Board of Canada each approved the name 'Salish Sea' as an official designation for the inland marine waters of Washington and British Columbia.The SALISH SEA extends from the north end of the Strait of Georgia and Desolation Sound to the south end of the Puget Sound and west to the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, including the inland marine waters of southern British Columbia, Canada and northern Washington, USA. These separately named bodies of water form a single estuarine ecosystem. Formally adopted by British Columbia and Washington State in 2009, 'The Salish Sea' as a name for these waters has been embraced by citizens on both sides of the border for years including the Coast Salish Gathering (the alliance of Coast Salish Tribal and First Nations leaders).
The Salish Sea is connected to the Pacific Ocean primarily via the Strait of Juan de Fuca (with relatively slight tidal influence from the north around Vancouver Island and through Johnstone Strait) and is contained by Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula. In addition to the Gulf and San Juan Islands the watershed contains the lower Fraser River Delta and the Puget Lowlands as well as the Hood Canal, the Tacoma Narrows and Deception Pass.
Over 7 million people live within the drainage basin of the Salish Sea1 (sometimes referred to as the "Georgia Basin - Puget Sound" watershed), including the cities of Vancouver, Seattle, Victoria, Olympia, Nanaimo, Bellingham, Everett, Port Angeles, Port Townsend and Tacoma.”
Click here for the rest of Mr. Freelan’s document describing the body of water that has so much influence on the beauty and vibrancy of our region.
Our Explorer’s Club group had a week to suss out this rich, international ecosystem, so we got right to it with our exploration of Whatcom Falls Park on day 1. Just 4 miles long, Whatcom Creek connects Lake Whatcom and Bellingham Bay. As such, it is a vital component of the Salish Sea’s surrounding basin. Lake Whatcom was created by a mile-high glacier that covered the area during the Ice Age. The creek cuts through Chuckanut Sandstone as it traverses the city. The associated erosion created a deep gorge with a series of
six waterfalls along the creek. This series of drops created fun swimming holes, of which we took full advantage as the boys splashed and explored the surrounding landscape. One of the distinct advantages of our summer outings is the extra time we have to allow the boys to linger. No need to hurry to the next scheduled activity. As the lyrics to the old song put it, “....the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.”Boys Explorers Club culture was in full flourish on this day, as the sole member of our group who hasn’t had the opportunity to participate in the fall and spring as a member of one of our cohorts was welcomed by the six who are BEC “regulars”. Their experience was also on display when we settled in for our sit spot (quiet, alone time with nature), a highlight of our focus on connecting with and protecting the land.
Several of the boys had learned safe knife usage and were eager to practice their carving skills. The mentors capitalized on this by suggesting the explorers work on creating utensils to use during our Thursday night campout. They accepted the challenge and could be found carving during the downtimes through the week.
On Tuesday, we added another challenge - scaling the Pine & Cedar Lakes trail in the Chuckanut Mountains.
The localhikes.com website describes the trail as “an excellent work-out/conditioning trail”. I think that means it’s steep. In fact, I know that that is what it means! How else would you depict a 1000 ft. ascent in just a mile? In Explorers Club, we encourage the boys to “stretch your edge”, so it was rewarding to see how the group took on the challenge with grace, flexibility and cooperation. Their decision-making was great, highlighted by their choice of Pine Lake as the destination. Once there, we used the boardwalk to cross over to the sole island in the lake, where several boys jumped in and swam while others got back to work on their carving. The sight of wood slivers on the ground and the sound of whoops and splashes evoked summer in the same way as the writings of Mark Twain. The moist air off the Salish Sea nourishes this lush forest, which in turn provides food and shelter for the wide variety of wildlife so close to our homes!Day 3 brought a dramatic change of environment, putting the amazing diversity of this area in sharp focus. Rather than steep, forested mountains, we spent a full day beach-combing along Bellingham Bay. Here, we weren’t feeling the effect of the Salish Sea second hand; we were literally wading in it. Given the -2.5 tide, however, we had to walk much of the way across to Portage Island! The power of the tides was on display as we chased it, mirage-like, for (we’re guessing here) about three-quarters of a mile. That’s right...of a mile. We walked for (another guess) a half hour before we got to the water line. Along the way, we watched gulls feeding on the mud flats as we kept a watch for a sunken ship that, we were told, is visible at low tide. Unfortunately, that’s a mystery that lives on.
On the way back in, we stopped (still a quarter mile or more out in the bay) to play Otter Steals Fish, a game made more real by the fact that we were in a location where that very act may have taken place. What a strong connection to the land (and sea)! After lunch, we headed down the beach where we explored a Robinson Caruso-like collection of beach discoveries and played games in the trees along the beach. Further down the beach, as the tide was coming in, we took time for personal connection to this most excellent place with our sit-spot. Our time there inspired a story about a contractor using the tide to lift a sunken ship off the bottom of Elliot Bay in Seattle. It was a great reminder that we benefit when we listen to and work with the land, rather than resisting or trying to overpower it. Finally, in our closing circle, we noted the range of activities we experienced in a short span of beach. It truly is about the journey.
Thursday brought another change and another challenge. Rather than our usual day-long excursion, we
came prepared for a campout at Bay View State Park. This is an important milestone toward adolescence and more freedom and responsibility for the Explorers. And it’s way cool fun! We boarded “Moose”, Wild Whatcom’s “new” bus at Samish Woods Montessori and headed south. Our first stop was the Breazeale Interpretive Center at the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Skagit County. Estuaries are the zones where land meets sea. They are the most biologically productive ecosystems on earth. The Breazeale center is a tremendous resource for learning about these critical regions. While we were there, we learned that Padilla Bay was closed to all aquatic activity due to fecal contamination. So, after checking in at the park, we decided to turn problems into possibilities by heading down to Deception Pass State Park to check out Pass Lake. After some exploring and a dip in the lake by a few hardy Explorers and one mentor, we scooted back to Bay View State Park to prepare that most (in)famous of all BEC dinners - the black bean burrito. It was all hands on deck as half the crew chopped and scraped veggies while the other half erected the tents (or, in the case of the mentors’ tent, laughed at the fact that somehow the tent made the trip but the poles didn’t!).
Dinner consumed (using hand carved utensils in a few cases) and sleeping arrangements prepared, we headed down to the beach to watch the sun set. Sit spots don’t get much better as the sky put on a light show while soft marine breezes caressed our skin and delighted our olfactory senses. Back to the tent for stories, laughter and acting out pretend Minecraft scenes after “lights out”.We finished our Salish Sea exploration on Friday back at Deception Pass. This park is a wonderland of possibilities, including a fresh water lake and an ocean beach within yards of each other. A few explorers settled into a book, one or two strolled in the Salish Sea surf of Deception Pass’ West
beach and a few practiced catching their imaginary dinner with their “rabbit sticks”. Then on to North beach, which forms the south edge of the pass itself. We were all absolutely enthralled by the life-giving and perilous currents and riptides of this force of nature as the surf crashed and splashed against rocks on the beach. The encroaching tide chased us back up onto the high rocks where we had our final sit spot of the week, reflecting on all that the Salish Sea has to offer. In five short days, we explored a creek, a mountain lake, low tide, intertidal life and estuarine ecosystems: and all no more than a short bus ride from home. We are truly blessed to live in this vibrant natural environment; and I sense that the Explorers at this camp came away somewhat more connected to its wonders.Your Explorers did themselves proud over the many hours spent exploring the Salish Sea. What few conflicts arose were, for the most part, resolved through reasoned communication and compromise. Usually, though, the boys were interested, considerate and playful. Thank you, parents and guardians, for your support of the program and for sharing your boys with us for this adventure. Check out the photo gallery for more glimpses into our time together.
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